Brands with a purpose

Recently I have been getting back into my early college habits when I made it part of my routine to buy from companies that had a purpose other than profit. What I am talking about is companies that work with underserved areas, charities, or foundations to help people around the globe get something they need. All of these causes are very important to me because I have always been privilege to not need anything, and I have felt bad that there are others out there, including children, that need so much.

At the moment the most I can recall is this started to blossom in 2009 when I was in a Medical Forum for high school students and we had an activist/documentary producer talk to us about how there are women in the Congo and other countries of Africa and the world who are struggling to even give birth because their severe malnutrition prevents them from giving birth successfully and causes them to have obstetrics fistulas. This is also the beginning of my heavy interest of women’s health. For the first time I bought something that helped someone somewhere else get something they needed. For every purchase of the documentary DVD, a percent of the proceeds went towards funding reconstructive surgery for these women, and cesarean sections for the ones that were at risk to fail labor.

After this, a lot of things inside me changed, this was the very first time I had an interest in women’s health and obstetrics. This also made me aware that there are people, and companies out there, that make it a part of their mission to help those less fortunate than most of us in one way or another. In the very beginning I thought this was rare, but shortly after I began shopping online, realized that there are a LOT of businesses out there that have some sort of purpose or alliance with a good cause.

In recent months, I was looking through my Instagram and I noticed most of the brands I follow there have this style of company. Furthermore, I was contacted by MAHI leather to talk about their brand, and what pushed me to accept the partnership was the fact that they work with the foundation. In today’s time, I think that this fact makes a company more honest and relatable than traditional retail companies. Because of these recent events, I decided to round up a variety of companies that, in one way or another contribute back to society.

These range from clothing, jewelry, house decor, bags, and even medical equipment! So I hope you enjoy this list and let me know of other brands out there that have a positive impact on society.

*Update! I have added a brand I just discovered: Girlfriend Collective that designs athleisure clothing made from recycled water bottles! Their first full collection launches this spring. I think this is great to follow up on! I have linked their FAQ and story above.